The Country Side Getaway

The unassuming farm house stood down a remote windy road, next to an old cemetery and a church with chiming bells, which would ring musically every hour breaking the stupor of its surroundings. The idyllic farm house was just like the picture we had seen and liked on the website. An old two story structure with a brick front. We were greeted warmly by our hosts, the old couple who owned the farm. They promptly walked us through the house and to the back of the building where the wooden steps lead to a warm welcoming sunroom replete with a small round table and two chairs, an old comfy patio couch, an ornamental plant or two adorning an old open book shelf with neatly lined random selection of books and board games; which I suspected might have been left behind by previous guests. The sunroom gave way to a cozy kitchen with checkered floor and the snug bedroom with country style furniture.

We would spend most of our waking time in the inviting sunroom; eating, talking, or taking in the view. At night we would cozy up there on the couch under a warm throw as we watched the stars light up the night sky. The vista from the sunroom was pastoral – serene rolling lush green landscape dotted by tall trees, occasional shrubs, wired fences, a red barn in need of care, and a shimmering pond tucked behind a veil of tall shrubs. The air was ripe with the constant chirping of crickets and innumerable critters invisible to the eye who made their presence felt by their endless chatter. Their sonorous chirps now and then punctuated by the calls and songs of birds. The air was alive, vibrating and resonating with these sounds.

The sapphire sky with specks of cottony wispy clouds floating by leisurely would turn charcoal black as the night descended. The silhouette of the landscape now engulfed in pitch darkness and stillness. The land and the sky would have seemed alike if not for the twinkling periwinkle stars that marked the sky. The solitude and stillness of the night away from the din of city life stirred the soul creating a longing for the unknown. The stillness of the mysterious night, the dimly lit sky, and the background humming of the insects all beckoning, gently tugging the heart, making it porous such that emotions flow out like cascades, stoking a deep seated desire to be one with what the eyes were witnessing.

In this bucolic setting time seemed irrelevant- minutes, hours, and days had lost their urgency and significance. Life was not at the mercy of the clock but more in rhythm with nature. As the stay at the farmhouse drew to an end and we bid adieu to our tranquil surroundings we felt refreshed and revived. Our modern lives cocooned in the concrete jungle has alienated us from nature. In our eternal rush to arrive somewhere and achieve something in life we have no time to watch the trees sway in wind and rain, admire the pearly dew drops delicately balanced on the blade of a grass, or appreciate the rich hues of the sky as the sun sets each day. Experiencing nature bridges that disconnect, and fills us with a kind of energy which is the very essence of our life. This rustic sojourn made me feel that I am a part of this vast creation and not apart.